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I can’t figure out a career (massive vent)

I know some people have wanted to be a police officer or fire fighter ever since they were little. There are many people who have “always known” what they want to go into. That is totally awesome but I want you to know that if you are one of those people, I envy the crap out of you. I am really struggling with what to do with my life. Every time I try out a certain career I HATE it. Here are just a FEW I’ve tried:

Retail

Daycare

Dog Grooming

CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) Work

Teaching Assistant

Notice, all of these jobs are extremely low paying. Who knows if I would still be at one of them today if I could have made it to a manager type position and made over 10,000 bucks a year. I could not support myself off of those jobs than I could fit my entire fist in my mouth. Just saying.

So now, I am married and don’t “qualify” for my grant anymore because apparently my husband and I make too much money. hahahahahaha. I can’t afford socks. It’s rare I get a new bottle of shampoo. Getting an ice cream is a TREAT. Yet, I can’t qualify to get any assistance with college REALLY.

This leaves me to resort to the dreaded word:

LOANS

I will be graduating this summer with an Associate of Science in Social Sciences. I’ve been working years on this degree so to stop now would be insane. All I have to do is make it through the summer semester. However, what job is really going to pay me more JUST because I have an Associates of Science? I didn’t even specialize in anything because I felt the Bachelors was the way to go.

Now I am faced with many colleges contacting me, wanting money, and saying they are the best place to get a Bachelors. Application fees alone have literally maxed out my credit card. I’ve finally been accepted into a college but I am most likely looking at 25,000 if not more to get my Bachelors.

IS THIS WORTH IT?

I don’t even feel confident in the direction I’m going in right now.

People say take time to figure out what you want your major to be. Well I’ve been thinking about it, changing my mind, and second guessing myself for the past 4 plus years.

I’m 25 now. Most people have great jobs. I can’t seem to make bird shit.

Without getting into great detail, I do not have any immediate family member to call for advice about education. I do not have anyone knowledgeable about scholarships or how they work. Colleges I ask for help seem to want to rush me in and out of their office, not realizing the extent of help I need. Then again, I guess they are not there to assist me with figuring out my life.

Has anyone been faced with these things? Anyone feel really torn about their career right now? Anyone love their career? I don’t know what I need. Motivation or a slap in the face.

If I could TRY OUT the career I wanted to go into I would feel much better. Right now I am about to major in Human Services. I find the books interesting and can really relate to the conditions and trauma that many of the people I work with have faced. However, this may be a very bad thing. Do I want to relive certain painful parts of my life by listening to others go through similar situations. Yes, it helps them to listen and that would be nice knowing I could help others. But could I really leave all of that heavy knowledge that people put on me at the door. I go to counseling and I really open up to my counselor. When I come out of there, I feel lighter. Like I’ve lost weight. But what I’ve really done is paid my counselor to take on the burden of my problems. Personally, I can’t imagine carrying around anymore emotional weight from anyone else. And yet I am going into Human Services?! 😦

Sorry for this massive vent. I’m just feeling all the way around frustrated and panicked. If anyone has any advice please feel free to post below ❤

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4 thoughts on “I can’t figure out a career (massive vent)”

I think you should know that no one gets the paycheck the want right away. The first couple years of work are not ideal or what you want. But its suppose to be that way. Everyone does it. You have to put in the grunge work before you can do the glory work with the big pay check.

I’m sorry this sounds discouraging but it’s true. I think the best advice I could give you is to “try it out”. The more you get out there with internships and entry level jobs the better. If you’re unsure of what you want to specialize in, take a year off from school. Instead of jumping in and wasting your money too soon, explore. I will warn you that this can be dangerous, you need to make sure that you stick to a one year limit. That means in 6-8 months you need to start looking at schools again and follow through with going back to school.

I can’t tell you where to get the big check or the rewarding job you’re searching for, but I can tell you that plenty of people who have degrees aren’t working in anything that has to do with their major. They get their foot in the door somewhere, grit their teeth and stay in one place to get the experience they need. From there they are able to get the inside view of what they like and don’t like. From their they are able to use the experience they gained and the connections they’ve made to make it to the next career level.

I think you would really enjoy reading “The Defining Decade”. I wrote a post series on the lessons from the book if you want to check it out before you buy or lend it form the library. It really helps put the important decisions of your twenties into perspective and how to go about it.

Thank you so much for commenting on this post and the sea world post. I love that you put so much time into your advice to me!! I also highly respect your opinion because you sound like you have a successful job and know what it’s like to struggle to get to one. I do know that no one gets a paycheck right away. I’m not all about the money. It’s just frustrating because I have no way to save. A lot of times my account is negative. It’s a never ending cycle of struggling.

I do agree with you that I need to try some other things out to just see how they go. I talked to someone recently who got their degree in Early Care and Education. There first year of teaching was a bit difficult but they have decided to stick it out one more year before they make their final decision about whether to stay in the profession or not. I completely admire that!! And know that I should try to last a little longer at my jobs before getting discouraged so fast.

I will definitely look up that book on amazon! It sounds like something that would beneficial for me to read. ❤ Thanks for the recommendation! I could use some motivation right now. I think I'm just very weighed down my stress and anxiety of my life. I've had a lot happen to me but I am trying to not have it define me or make me out to look like a "victim." I know there are others who have had life issues and have pushed through them. It's just a matter of finding the strength to get you to the point where you can push back against how hard life is sometimes 🙂 Hope your doing great!! I know you work at Sesame Street but was unsure what your job was there. Do you mind if I ask? I agree to about the internship. I think, if I get it, I will take it if I am within an hours driving distance just for the sheer experience! You are so very right about sometimes some things are just worth the drive.

I am in almost exactly the same boat as you. I just graduated college with my BA in psychology and had two options: go to grad school for something I’m not sure I want to do and have a massive amount of loans, or option two- take advantage of the opportunities available in modern society. Check out my blog!!

I will definitely have to check out your blog! I’m sorry to see that you are in a similar boat. It’s really frustrating to be in that position. My husband did almost the exact same thing. He got is BA is Psychology but then did not pursue his Masters. I believe his original major was Sociology but then he switched it for some reason. He ended up going into law enforcement. If you want to be a Psychologist though I know you have to go for the Masters. Masters is so expensive though as is Bachelors! 😦 I would say just weigh all of your options, be sure you know what you want to go into, and take it from there. I wish you the best of luck! ❤